If it is so important to the left to stop Sarah Palin from running for President, then it is that much more important that she run - and win!

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Friday, April 16, 2010

“We share so much with that wildlife and those resources,” she told the sold-out charity event with 900 guests.“Our accents too! Do you know how many people asked me if I’m Canadian . . . I feel right at home with you all. We share a lot in that accent.”

“I loved Sarah Palin from the first time I saw her on TV at the national convention. She thinks like I think – less government, less tax, more freedom,” he said, arriving three hours before the event to get a glimpse of Palin entering the banquet hall.

“It’s hard to describe my admiration for her but I put her really high up there.” Not everyone was awestruck by the politician who appealed to Americans as the small-town hockey mom but has become a one-woman media empire since her failed bid for vice presidency.

“I have mixed emotions about what to think but I’d like to come and see what she has to say,” said Hamilton resident Janis Abbott, who had been given the tickets by her business partner. “We’ll see if it changes my opinion.”

“It seems to be more working-class type of vehicles, not the exotic cars parked in the lot over there,” he said pointing to the lot outside Carmen’s Banquet Hall. “You get the mini vans and pick up trucks and,” he paused as a carload of screaming and honking women went by. “And Chevy Luminas.”

Hamilton, Ont - Jenni Lecluse of Hamilton said could hardly wait to hear from Palin. "She is a strong woman and she's an example," said Lecluse. "Whether or not you agree with her politics, you still have to respect her accomplishments." Gerry Levy, of nearby Stoney Creek, said he admired Palin. As governor of Alaska, he said, Palin had "turned around a corrupt Republican government."

As people milled in the pre-dinner foyer sipping wine, Mary Burford said she wanted to make up her own mind about Palin. "She's a personality," said Burford of Hamilton. "She's very influential and she's very controversial." Many seemed star-struck by Palin. "How often do figures like this come to Hamilton?" said Lecluse.

"I love her," said Carol Broderick, a retired church secretary from Buffalo, N.Y. "I've always loved her. I love her smile. She's a great lady."

Broderick and her husband were among 900 guests who paid $200 each to hear Palin speak at a charity fundraiser in Hamilton, Ont., Thursday. "She's so different than all the other politicians," Broderick said. "She's so happy, vibrant, energetic."

Photo By Kaz Ehara , Canwest News ServiceBroderick, who now lives in Niagara Falls, Ont., but has dual citizenship, said she'd vote for Palin if she ran in the next U.S. presidential election. She said the Republican is treated unfairly in the media.

Steve Burns, 46, and his wife Shannon, 40, drove from Woodstock, Ont., for the event. "It's just so refreshing to have someone like her in Canada," said Burns, a steel factory worker. "Her voice represents me. She represents pro-life, pro-family, pro-community."

HAMILTON - "Nothing is an accident just hold on, if you're in a tough situation right now just hold on because you don't know what's just around the corner," Palin, 46, told the crowd of 900 people who paid $200 each to hear her speech.

During the 30-minute address, Palin made many references to "cool" and "blast" and called her husband, who was sitting beside her "the first dude of Alaska." She told many stories of her family, about her oldest son deciding to enlist in the army and go to Iraq, forcing her family to understand that "freedom wasn't free."

Palin also appealed to the crowd by complimenting Hamilton on a number of occasions for the "hard work" of its residents in producing steel. She also said that she put in a good word with the NHL, saying Hamilton deserved its own hockey team.

"They pick her apart for whatever reason," she said, "for what she's wearing. But she doesn't let it get her down." Steve Burns, 46, and his wife Shannon, 40, drove from Woodstock, Ont., for the event.

"It's just so refreshing to have someone like her in Canada," said Burns, a steel factory worker. "Her voice represents me. She represents pro-life, pro-family, pro-community." "She's so basic, so common sense," he said. "I'm a blue-collar guy and she understands me."

Palin's speech was to be followed by a question-and-answer session with Connie Smith, a veteran Hamilton personality and current host of a Christian television show. The event, billed "An Intimate Evening with Sarah Palin," sold out shortly after it was first announced last November.

Hamilton police Supt. Ken Bond said officers would be monitoring the event, but notably absent were any protesters. Michael Marini, a spokesman for the event said he and Palin discussed Canadian and American accents. "What struck me is the media image of Ms. Palin," he said. "When you're up and personal with her, she's so humble and down to Earth."Marini said Palin wowed him when she told him she knew Hamilton was a steel-producing city.

Palin, 46, was expected to give a 20- to 30-minute speech on family values and community volunteerism, followed by a question-and-answer session with Connie Smith, a veteran Hamilton personality and current host of a Christian television show. The event, billed “An Intimate Evening with Sarah Palin,” sold out shortly after it was first announced last November.

“In any event such as this one where there is a high profile, we plan for it and that’s what we’ve done,” he said Thursday. “We have staff prepared for the purpose of allowing things to go smoothly, but we don’t expect any problems or anything that is too controversial.”

Security at the event is also under tight control by the organizers. Media are allowed to attend the formal dinner but are not allowed to bring in cameras or tape recorders. Journalists have been asked to dress in formal wear, with no blue jeans allowed.

A portion of the proceeds from the event — originally slated to go to two area hospitals — will be donated to Charity of Hope, a Hamilton children’s organization that supports United Way, Kiwanis Boys and Girls clubs and the YMCA. The charity was named as a recipient following controversy surrounding Palin’s outspoken views on the Canadian health-care system.